


Solid Ground

by supercantaloupe



Series: d20 alphabet 2021 [2]
Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series), Pirates of Leviathan
Genre: Gen, Post-Canon, Prompt Fill, this one isn't depressing this time i promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:14:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29666427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supercantaloupe/pseuds/supercantaloupe
Summary: The Harvest Moon reaches her destination.
Series: d20 alphabet 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2178252
Kudos: 2
Collections: Dimension 20 Alphabet 2021





	Solid Ground

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt, day 2: Beach.

The salt-wind rustles through Cheese’s hair up in the crow’s nest. They’ve been sailing for almost three weeks now; they have to be getting close, he can just feel it. He lifts the spyglass to his eye again and scans the morning horizon. After a few seconds, he spots a glint of green and gold against the grey overcast sky, and he smiles. 

“Sunny!” he calls out, waving. In the distance he is answered by a cheerful squawk, and the aaracockra dives a bit in the air, picking up speed. She makes a beeline for the ship and in a few moments dives in and deftly perches on the mainsail. 

“Hiya, Cheese!” she greets, smiling. 

“Did you find it?” Cheese asks, filled with anticipation. She nods brightly. He lets out a whoop and scrambles out of the crow’s nest, clambering down to the deck. Sunny swoops down to follow.

At the helm, he finds the captain Jack Brakkow, the air rustling proudly through his fur. “Ahoy, master Cheese,” he greets coolly, yet welcoming. He’s never seemed more at home than at the helm, Cheese thinks.

“How’s our course?” the gnome asks eagerly.

“Steady and true, me boy.” Jack looks up at the sky and sniffs the air, breathing it deep into his lungs, swelling like the sails above. “If these winds keep up, we’ll reach land by sundown. Sunny?”

Sunny squawks again in agreement. A wind ripples the sails above. “We’re close. We can make it.”

In his excitement, Cheese can’t stand still long enough to hear the rest of the conversation. He speeds off across the deck to the fo’cs’le. He sees Bob sitting perched on the bowsprit, humming a tune. Marcid stands behind on the deck, away from the railings, like a statue. He turns his head, hearing Cheese approach. 

“Oy, Cheese,” he greets, nodding, in as friendly a manner as his generally gruff demeanor will ever allow. 

“Ahoy, Mister Marcid!” Cheese says.

From the bowsprit, Bob turns back to wave. “Hiya, Cheesy!” she greets, grinning radiantly. 

“Hiya, Miss Bob!” he returns, grinning ear-to-ear. “We’re getting close,” he relays. Bob lets out a little squeal of excitement. Marcid grunts in acknowledgement.

“Aye. Have you ever been on shore before, lad?” he asks, giving the boy a curious look.

“Oh! I…” Cheese begins, trailing off in thought. He starts shifting from foot to foot, almost nervously. “No, I don’t think I have.”

“Me neither!” Bob adds, with a giggle. “Isn’t it exciting?”

“Mm,” Marcid grunts again. He removes Cheese’s hat from his head briefly to rustle his hair. “You’ll like it. Solid ground under your feet. That’ll be a first.”

“Mhm,” Cheese says, still fidgeting. He looks around. “Where’s--?”

“Myrtle?” Bob finishes for him. He nods. “Oh, she’s just goin’ for a little swim!”

“Said she’ll meet us there, lad,” Marcid rumbles. 

“Wow,” Cheese exhales. “We must  _ really _ be close.” 

He couldn’t quite believe it for the next several hours, as the clouds cleared to reveal a shining sun and crystal sky. He could almost believe it when they first spotted land on the horizon, and it drew ever closer with every moment. But truly, he did not believe it was real until they set anchor, and lowered the rowboat, and crossed the last few meters to shore. 

Sunny and Bob take to the sky, while Myrtle slithers out of the water in her bubble. Marcid huddles in the center of the boat, looking miserable for the few minutes it takes for Jack to row them to shore and feel sand scrape the bottom. 

For the first time, Cheese steps out of the boat and onto real land. 

He pulls off his shoes and socks and feels the sand between his toes, lets the cool seawater lap around his ankles, rhythmically flowing in and out, like the dark ocean itself breathing. He takes a deep breath and the smell of salt and  _ trees _ and  _ dirt _ fills his nose, real trees and dirt, like nothing he’s encountered before. It’s almost intoxicating. The shadows from the trees to the west grow longer and longer as the sun dips low behind them. He stands in silence, taking it all in.

“Oy, Cheese,” Marcid says after who knows how long, snapping him out of his reverie. He turns to look and finds the rest of his crew gathered by the treeline. Marcid motions for him to join them; he grabs his shoes and runs up the sand barefoot to greet them. “You ready to go, lad?” he asks.

“I…” Cheese says, pausing to think. “Wait. One sec.” Quickly, he drops his shoes and looks around for something. 

Dashing a few paces off, he bends over and picks up a stone, flat and round and smooth. He dashes back to the edge of the water as the sky grows dark with dusk. He stares out over the water for a moment, the ship off not too far in the distance to one side, the moon rising to the other. He lightly tosses the stone up once and catches it in the palm of his hand. Then he rears his arm back and flicks it out. The stone skips across the water 7 times before sinking, splashing moonlight with each one. 

He walks back to the group waiting for him and nods with determination. “Okay. I’m ready.”

**Author's Note:**

> rebloggable [here,](https://supercantaloupe.tumblr.com/post/643961059292643328/dimension20alphabet-prompt-fill-2-beach-title) prompt list [here.](https://dimension20alphabet.tumblr.com/post/643573819181776896/prompt-masterlist)
> 
> thank you for reading! <3


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